Criminal Background Check

Shocking and Gruesome Crime Solemnly Remembered as Trial Begins for Two Suspects

The beautiful and quaint area of Cheshire Connecticut shows no obvious signs of the trauma the community went through only two short years ago. At 300 Sorghum Mill Drive, a horrific home invasion, four assaults, and three murders took place that led to one man losing his home and his entire family. A heart-shaped garden now lies in the spot where the family home once stood.

Dr William Petit was a well-known and loved physician in the small community about 20 miles North of New Haven. All seemed well on that fateful night of July 23, 2007 as the family was asleep in their home. At about 3:00 in the morning, however, they were awakened by the sound of two robbers, and soon-to-be murderers, who would savagely beat Dr. Petit and lock him in his own basement as they continued their seven-hour attack on the rest of the family.

Though a criminal background check and criminal background searches would have revealed that both of the suspects, Hayes and Komisarjevsky, had been convicted prior on burglary charges, they both had been paroled at the time of the invasion. This crime has led to a number of reforms in Connecticut’s judicial system, including the throwing out of “administrative reviews” made by three Board Members without the suspects being present or interviewed. This was, in fact, the main reason why the two suspects were out on parole at the time.

Some other changes that have been made into law included the composition of the Board of Pardons and Paroles to add a staff psychologist to the Board so they can do a more through criminal background check and criminal background searches by opening access to the computerized juvenile court’s records which had previously been kept from the review board. The Board Members argued that when they were reviewing the cases of both suspects, they did not have the full disclosure of that information at the time.

Regardless of how grossly the system failed the community of Cheshire, the fact remains that Dr. Petit is now without his two daughters and his wife. He tearfully spoke to the media and said, “Because men murdered Michaela, she cannot make homemade sauce, play with her friends, or kiss me goodnight. Because men murdered Hayley, she cannot experience her college years at Dartmouth, row on the Connecticut River, or sit and chat with me. Because men murdered Jennifer, she can no longer comfort a student at Cheshire Academy, talk with her parents and sister, or sit with me on our porch.”

Those statements were made as Dr. Petit spoke to the media during a hearing that was held to determine if the death penalty should be repealed. It was first repealed and ultimately vetoed by the Governor. Both suspects could face the death penalty if they are found guilty for the crimes they are being charged with: felony murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and arson. The Petit’s home had been set ablaze by the suspects after Petit’s wife had been strangled and his two daughters tied up and sexually assaulted. They died of smoke inhalation.

This case emphasizes the damage that a criminal can make to someone’s precious life and to their family. In the business world, criminal employees can also do irreparable damage once hired. Avoid these damages in the first place by hiring AccuScreen to perform a pre-employment criminal background check on each of your candidates!